Snow-removing device



J. GEHL SNOW REMOVING DEVICE Aug. 8, 1939 2 sneets-s'heet'l Filed April8, 1937 INVENTOR JOHN GEHL ATTORNEYS Patented 8, 1939 UNi'l'E-D STATES.

PATENT, orrlce 1 Claim.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide a snow removingmachine having means for scraping up the snow, and novel means operatedfrom the engine of the pushing vehicle for blowing the snow to one sideor the other of the machine and completely out of the path of themachine, whereby to effectively reduce the strain on the machine and topermit the rapid handling of the snow.

Another salient object of my inventionis to provide a pushing vehicle,suchas a tractor, with a snow removing device thereon, embodying acasing arranged transversely of the machine having an open front portionor mouth carrying a scraper blade for directing the snow into saidmouth, and a rotary blower in said casing for breaking up the snow andfor throwing the snow. through a blower pipe, which can be directed toeither side of the machine, as may be desired. A further object of myinvention is to provide a machine of the above character, which can becompactly built, whereby the same can be effectively used for cleaningsidewalks and the like. A still further object of my invention is toprovide a sidewalk snow removing machine inand a guide handle having thevarious controlling devices thereon, whereby the movement of the beltsand the operation of the snow removing device can be convenientlymanipulated by the operator.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine for removing snowfrom sidewalks, crosswalks, and the like, parts of the view being shownbroken away and in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine for removing snow fromsidewalks, parts of this view being also shown broken away and insection.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, detail sectional view taken substantially onthe line 3-3 of Figure 1, illustrating a preferred drive arrangement.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, side elevation view, with'parts thereofbroken away and in section, showing my snow removing device mounted upona large or riding tractor.

Figure 5 is a detail, transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 ofFigure 4, illustrating a part of the adjusting mechanism for the snowremoving device. I 6

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein 5 similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter S generally indicates my snow removing machine, which hasbeen particularly designed flor clearing long stretches of sidewalks andthe As illustrated, the machine includes a frame it having mountedthereon any preferred type of internal combustion engine II. This engineis employed for driving the side endless crawler belts i2 and i3, andthis drive mechanism and the controls therefor will be more fully setforth.

A rotatable stub shaft i 4 is disposed at one side of the enginecrank-shaft l5 and is operatively connected thereto by means of a clutchl5. This clutch is adapted to be operated through the medium of a handlever I! mounted upon the operating handle H3. The hand lever 11 has op-1 eratively connected thereto an actuating link 19, which leads to andoperates the movable section of the clutch.

Keyed or otherwise secured to the stub shaft I4 is a pair of spacedsprocket wheels 2| and 22. The sprocket wheel 2! is utilized for drivingthe jack shaft 23, and the jack shaft can have mounted thereon arelatively large sprocket wheel 24. A drive sprocket chain is trainedover the sprocket wheels 2| and 24. The jack shaft is -utilized foroperating the crawler tracks or belts, and the opposite ends of the jackshaft are operatively connected through the mediumof clutches 25 and 26with stub shafts 21 and 28. These stub shafts 21 and 28 are operatively'connected to the drive axles 29 of the crawler trac or belts. 1

As illustrated, the stub shafts 21 and 28 have keyed or otherwisesecured thereto sprocket wheels 30, and these sprocket wheels receivedrive sprocket chains which are trained about sprocket wheels 3| securedto the axles 29 of 45 said crawler belts. The controls for the clutches25 and 26 arealso mounted upon the handle l8, whereby these clutches canalso be conveniently manipulated by the operator. As shown, the handle18 carries rotatable hand grips 32.

Each of these hand grips has formed thereon or secured thereto a cranklever 33 for manipulating links 34. These links 34 lead to theirrespectiveclutches 25 and 26, and by turning the hand grips the movableclutch sections of the 55 or one or the other can-be thrown out so thatthe tractor can be guided and turned around.

Rigidly mounted upon the frame III of the tractor is a pair of forwardlyextending brackets 34 to which is rigidly secured a substantially U-shaped supporting frame 35. Mounted upon the arms of the frame is asubstantially cylindrical casing 36, and the front lower end of thecasing-is left open to form an entrance mouth for the snow. The upperforward end of the casing can be provided with a hinged cover 31. Ascraper blade 38 is carried by the lower edge of the casing for engagingand scraping the snow from the ground, and, if desired, this blade canbe resiliently mounted.

Arranged within the casing 31 is a rotary snow blower or elevator 39.This blower 39 preferably includes end hubs 40 rigidly mounted upon anaxle shaft Al. The ends of the axle shaft are mounted in suitablebearings carried by the casing and the arms of the U-shaped bracket 35.The hubs 40 are connected by spiral blower blades 42, which serve tobreak up and cut through the snow scraped up by the scraper blade 38,and for carrying and blowing the snow to one side of the machine and thesidewalk.

The upper end of the casing 36 terminates in a dome 43, which may beprovided with snow guiding vanes, and the upper end of the dome hasrotatably mounted thereon a blower pipe 44. This blower pipe can beswung in any direction desired so that the snow can be blown to eitherside of the machine as may be desired.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided anexceptionally simple and compact form of snow removing device, which canbe effectively used on sidewalks for permitting the quick removal ofsnow therefrom.

The sprocket wheel 22 on the stub shaft II has trained about the same asprocket chain 45, which leads about a sprocket wheel 46 carried orotherwise secured to the axle shaft 4| of the blower. Hence, it can beseen that the blower is operated from the engine I I of the tractor.

When the clutch I6 is thrown out by the operator, the blower as well asthe machine can be instantly brought to a halt, and by leaving theclutch l6 thrown in and by throwing out the clutches 25 and 26 theblower can be actuated, and the tractor can be brought to a standstill.This is advantageous in the initial starting of the machine and inhandling relatively large snowdrifts. I

While in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive I have shown the principles of my snowremoving device applied to a relatively small walking tractor, wherebythe machine can be used on sidewalks, it is to be understood that thesnow removing device can be effectively used on large tractors forroadwork.

In Figures 4 and 5 I have illustrated my snow The letter T generallyindicates the As illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the tractor '1'includes a frame having a rear axle II and a front axle II. A suitableengine 52 is mounted on the frame, and" the crankshaft N'extendsslightly in advance of the axle 5|. The snow removing de- 5 vice Dincludes a pair of longitudinally extending supporting side beams 54,and the forward ends of the beams have rigidly secured thereto aU-shaped supporting member in which is secured the transverselyextending substantially 10 cylindrical casing 58.

The front end of the casing is left open and the rear end of the casingcarries the scraper blade 51. The upper end of the casing terminates ina dome 58 on which is rotatably mount- 15 ed a blower pipe 58. Theblower pipe 53 can be provided with an annular worm gear ll with whichmeshes a worm 3|. This worm is rigidly secured on an operating shaft 62rotatably mounted in suitable bearings. The shaft extends 20 rearwardlyof the tractor toward the operator's seat.

The supporting beams 54 adjacent to their rear ends are rockably mountedon the rear axle 50, and the beams can be provided with U-shaped 5 bolts63 for engaging about the axle. If desired, depending U-shaped guides 64can be connected to the front axle 5| for guiding the swinging movementof the supporting beams. By raising and lowering the supporting beams,the position 30 of the scraping blade 51 relative to the ground can beadjusted.

Any preferred means can be provided for raising and lowering the beams,and, as shown, I

provide a cross-shaft G5 rotatably mounted on 35 the tractor, theterminals of which carry beveled gears 66 for meshing engagement withbeveled gears 61 keyed or otherwise secured to screws 68. These screws68 have traveling nuts 63 mounted thereon, and the nuts are connected by40 means of pins 10 to the beams 54. The crossshaft 65 can be turned inany desired manner to bring about the raising and lowering of the beams.As shown, a worm wheel II is keyed to the cross-shaft, and the wormwheel has mesh- 45 shaft is operatively connected to the blower in anydesired manner, such as through the medium of meshing beveled gears. Theshaft 15' is operatively connected to the engine crankshaft through themedium of a clutch l6 and universal joint 11. Means is also provided forpermitting the operation of the clutch by the driver of the vehicle,whereby the rotation of the blower 6 H can be controlled.

While in both forms of my invention I have shown the rotary blowermounted in a horizontal plane, it is to be understood that I do not wishto restrict myself to the exact position of this blower, as obviouslythe same could be mounted at an angle to thehorizontal. Likewise, therotary blower can take other shapes and forms.

An operating drive 5 Other changes in details may be made with- 75 outdeparting from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what Iclaimas new, is:

In a machine for removing snow from sidewalks, a rigid frame, an enginemounted directly on said frame, ground-engaging means carried by theopposite sides of the frame driven from said engine, a rearwardlyextending manipulating handle on the frame, brackets on the front end ofthe frame projecting forwardly in spaced parallel relation, a forwardlyand downwardlyextending U-shaped support secured to the brackets andarranged transversely of the frame andin front of the ground-engagingmeans, a cylindrical casing secured to the U-shaped support having anentrance moutlua scraper blade on the casing, a blower pipecommunicating with the casing, a rotary blower mounted within the casingabove the scraper including a. transversely extending shaft rotatablymounted in the casing and in the forward ends of the U-shaped support,and means for rotating the shaft from the engine.

JOHN GEHL.

